Animoto

I really enjoyed watching the video "The Lodge Does the Canopy". It is very cool that we can create a video so simply that will last for so long, and help us to remember good times we shared with friends. I made my own short video with pictures from one of our summer vacations. (http://animoto.com/play/ftA8zNKWptNbW8azh0E1QQ)

I could see how students would really enjoy doing this in class and how it could be used educationally in the classroom. It would be fun in reading class to have students create images (on the computer, with a camera, or drawn themselves) to tell a story. This could be then used for students to show their understanding of a plot. I could also see it being used to teach other students about a particular topic. Students could create videos to teach about prefixes and suffixes or synonyms and antonyms. It would make vocabulary lessons much more interesting! I am excited to see if I could actually fit this into my plans for the remainder of the year!

Updated: July 3, 2010
I was able to have my students create a video using Animoto at the end of the school year. Students wrote out 'I Can..." statements about what they learned in reading this school year. They had to use one of the Ohio Academic Content Standards they had mastered to create an 'I Can..." poster; one student wrote I can identify sensory language. Students were engaged while creating their poster as well as while creating the video. They were permitted to take the pictures of one another and then as an entire class they voted on the music. While watching the video one student commented how much she had learned this year and how the video was a great way to show others; she was planning on showing her parents our video when she got home that night. It is great to see how technology can inspire students to reflect on their school year and the learning that occurred in reading class.

To view the video my class created go to:
http://animoto.com/play/X8SvJBmxjto7vgDduGH48g